Wine & Spirits - October 2019 - 80

US NEW RELEASES

WHITE BLENDS

Our blind panels tasted 383 new-release US wines for this issue. Our critics rated 158 as
exceptional (90+) and 26 as Best Buys. Joshua Greene covers California's North Coast;
Patrick J. Comiskey covers the rest of the US. Their initials follow their reviews.
Find a complete list of wines tasted and all reviews at wineandspiritsmagazine.com.

CA LI FO RN I A S PA RKL IN G

SAUVIGNON BLANC

517815

91 | Chandon

517975
$45

2013 Mt. Veeder Napa Valley Vintage Brut ^
Domaine Chandon farms 60 acres of vines on
Mount Veeder, at elevations reaching 1,200
feet on Veeder. They've based this cuvée
entirely on chardonnay, producing a crisp,
mountain-grown sparkler. It's floral and
peachy, with an underlying cut of apple-like
freshness. The flavors are heady and tense,
clean and lasting. (1,250 cases) -J.G.
517865

90 | Chandon

$50

California Late Disgorged Blanc de Noirs ^
Years of aging on the lees have rendered this
wine's texture broad and added nutty scents
to its notes of Asian pear and apricot. A lemony phenolic edge to the finish keeps the
wine on point. -P.J.C.

CA LI FO RN I A W HIT E
PINOT BL ANC
517343

90 | Deovlet

$32

2017 Sta. Rita Hills La Encantada Vineyard Pinot Blanc ^ This tiny-production white
is straw-colored and salty, with wheaty scents
and bright lemon-lime flavors. It's a summery wine, with a brisk thirst-quenching texture for an afternoon sip. (67 cases) -P.J.C.

91 | Robert Mondavi
Winery

$55

2016 Oakville Napa Valley Reserve Fumé
Blanc To Kalon Vineyard Sauvignon
Blanc ^ Crunchy and brisk, this wine's sweet
complexity melds passion fruit, lemon, cranberry and orange into a high kick of acidity,
with oak notes from nine months in barrels
providing the frame. Built to age, this wine
derives its concentration from two historic
blocks of dry-farmed, head-pruned vines
planted on prime benchlands in western
Oakville. (869 cases) -J.G.
518122

90 | Heitz Cellar

$30

2018 Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc ^ Brittany Sherwood makes this wine from hillside
and valley-floor blocks at Heitz's Ink Grade
Vineyard. Her 2018 is packed with tropical
richness, with intriguing notes of ripe papaya
and tart pomelo. It's balanced for drinking
on its own. -J.G.
517470

88 | Kunde

$18

2018 Sonoma Valley Sauvignon Blanc
(Best Buy) ^ Notes of almond, golden peaches
and apricots carry a bitter curry-like tang.
Chill this wine for tandoori chicken. -J.G.

PINOT GRIS
$25

2018 Sonoma Valley Shapeshifter Glen
Oaks Vineyard Pinot Gris (Best Buy) ^ Birk
O'Halloran makes this wine from a vineyard
in Glen Ellen, delivering a tight, clean, fresh
and fragrant pinot gris that may have you
thinking differently about the grape. This
has a peach-fuzz ripeness, along with the
caramel-like scent the variety might deliver
in a warm climate, but there's nothing sweet
about it, and there's no perception of alcohol.
Instead, the wine leaves a layered sensation
of pink roses, fresh-pressed apple cider, bitter almond and orange peel. It would be delicious with raw oysters, seared scallops over
porcini risotto, prosciutto with melon... (129
cases) -J.G.

WINE & SPIRITS

OCTOBER 2019

93 | Massican

$30

90 | Matthiasson

$40

90 | J. Lohr

$35

2018 Napa Valley Annia (Best Buy) ^ There's
a generation of winemakers who benefited
from George Vare's interest in friulano and
ribolla gialla, including Dan Petroski at Massican and Steve Matthiasson, whose blend
is also recommended here. The Massican
Annia adds a little chardonnay (11 percent)
to friulano and ribolla, presenting a flinty,
creamy white with a jazz riff of mineral
tension, a play on the Meyer-lemon-andpomelo-pith acidity racing through it. That
freshness holds it tight, energizing the wine's
luxurious feel. It's a fascinating take on Napa
Valley terroir. -J.G.
518135
2017 Napa Valley White Wine ^ Most of this
blend is made up of Bordeaux varieties-
semillon and sauvignon blanc-while ribolla
gialla and tocai friulano, two varieties from
Friuli, contribute 30 percent. They combine
in a cool and spicy white with salty lemon flavors and a honeyed scent. Round and sapid,
it's suited to grilled squid with green olives,
or grilled fish with capers. (727 cases) -J.G.
517597
2018 Paso Robles Gesture RVG ^ A blend of
roussanne, viognier and grenache blanc, this
melds exuberant flavors of white peach and
Meyer lemon with plenty of phenolic structure to support. It's pure and balanced; for a
picnic. (354 cases) -P.J.C.

517859

93 | Iconic

517311

C ALIFORNIA ROSÉ

517981

86 | Fetzer

517432
$10

2018 California Echo Ridge Sauvignon
Blanc (Best Buy) ^ This is clean and simple,
with scents of white flowers and lime, a green
apple through-line of flavor and a mildly phenolic grip. -P.J.C.

92 | Sojourn

$29

2018 Sonoma Coast Rosé of Pinot Noir ^
Erich Bradley makes this wine from vineyards
around Occidental and the Petaluma Gap. Its
cranberry and herbal tobacco scents lead into
a fresh, bright rosé, the flavors of ripe peach
and orange adding depth without excess
weight, its light frame of tannins tightened
up by cleansing acidity. Pour it with lemony
grilled chicken. (525 cases) -J.G.
517129

https://www.massican.com/product/2018-annia/ http://www.wineandspiritsmagazine.com https://www.fetzer.com/echo-ridge-sauvignon-blanc/

Wine & Spirits - October 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - October 2019